Canada creates massive 'working' park

The establishment of the Great Bear Rainforest ends 10 years of acrimony between environmentalists and logging companies, and will be managed and funded by loggers, environmentalists, native Indian groups and the provincial government, the Washington Post reported.

Outside the core of the park, which is twice the size of Yellowstone Park in the United States, strict new controls will protect against exploitation of an additional 10 million acres.

The land-use plan will allow limited logging, and environmental organizations will contribute $60 million to help fund economic initiatives such as eco-tourism, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

The U.S.-based Nature Conservancy decided to launch the fundraising for the Canadian project because of its size and the unusual conciliation of the final negotiations, officials told the Post.

"This really represents conservation in the 21st century," said Steve McCormick, chief executive officer of the group. "To conserve globally important natural habitat worldwide on a scale that will be meaningful, we have to contemplate human use."

Copyright 2006 by United Press International